THE VIDEO SHELF · richard feynman's legacy
the sham legacy of Richard Feynman
Physicist Angela Collier's nearly three-hour critique of Richard Feynman's public legacy. She examines how his books, written with Ralph Leighton, shaped a mythologized great-man image, and covers his personal behavior.
Why HN readers recommended it
HN recommends it as a sobering counterpoint to the Feynman myth for people whose view comes from Surely You're Joking.
This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.
Video & recommendation details
- Creator / channel
- Angela Collier
- Topic
- richard feynman's legacy
- Format
- commentary
- Level
- general
- HN recommenders in dataset
- 5
- HN mentions in dataset
- 9
- Recommendation years in dataset
- 2024–2025
These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.
From the original HN conversations
Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.
Because she thoroughly de-articulates the fabricated mystique around Feynman, and openly discusses the toxic effect his legacy has had on science. (Including the fact that a lot of his legacy was fabricated by people that either admired him, or wished to capitalize on that legacy.) …
artifact_44 on Hacker News · 2025-02
In Richard Feynman's blackboard at the time of his death (1988)I'd be careful taking anything from "surely you're joking" as a fact btw. There's a good popsci comms video on why here [VIDEO]
hughesjj on Hacker News · 2024-12
In Fermat's Last Theorem – how it’s goingYou may want to watch this if Surely You're Joking read years ago is your main reference point: [VIDEO]
blackenedgem on Hacker News · 2024-12
In Fermat's Last Theorem – how it’s going
Summaries, classifications and recommendation records are from the HackerTube source dataset. Read about this library and its limitations.